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Roles Of The Conference Of Management Authorities

Roles Of The Conference Of Management Authorities

The Conference of Management Authorities makes decisions under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act on:

Which species should be assessed,

Listing species at risk,

Conservation actions and regulations for species at risk, and

Management plans and recovery strategies for species at risk.

Assessment

Assessing the status of species is the job of the Species at Risk Committee. However, the Conference of Management Authorities gives direction on which species should be assessed. The Management Authorities also review drafts of species status reports.

Listing

After receiving a species assessment from the Species at Risk Committee, the Conference of Management Authorities will make a decision about whether the species should be added to the NWT List of Species at Risk.

Before reaching an agreement, each Management Authority does the consultation they are required to do. When making a decision on listing a species, the Conference of Management Authorities considers the assessment and the reasons for it, the species status report, and the results of any consultation they have done. Socio-economic factors can be considered.

The term of a listing is 10 years. After that time or sooner if necessary species can be re-listed, changed to a different status category, or taken off the list.

Click here to find out which species are on the NWT List of Species at Risk.

Conservation measures

Conservation measures are developed on a species-by-species basis. Some of the tools for conservation under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act are:

Agreements with land owners to conserve habitat,

Regulations to conserve the species,

Regulations to conserve the habitat, and

Designation of habitat that is necessary for the species to recover.

As soon as a species has been assessed as a species at risk, the Conference of Management Authorities could develop consensus agreements on actions to protect the species or its habitat. Before reaching an agreement, each Management Authority does the consultation they are required to do. If there is no consensus agreement, the territorial government’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources can take action.

Management plans and recovery strategies

If a species is listed as Special Concern, Threatened or Endangered on the NWT List of Species at Risk, a management plan or recovery strategy must be done.

Special Concern

Management Plan

Within 2 years of listing

Threatened

Recovery Strategy

Within 2 years of listing

Endangered

Recovery Strategy

Within 1 year of listing

A management plan recommends objectives for the management of the species. A recovery strategy recommends objectives for the conservation and recovery of the species. Both types also recommend approaches to achieve those objectives.

The Conference of Management Authorities comes to consensus on accepting a management plan or recovery strategy and how it will be implemented. If consensus is not reached, the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources completes the plan and makes a statement about actions the Government of the Northwest Territories intends to take to implement it. Progress reports are done every 5 years.